Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer

1
Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer
Lesson 10

• Fire and Emergency Services Company Officer, 4th
  Edition
• Chapter 10 Safety and Health Issues

2
Learning Objectives

1. Identify facts about emergency scene casualties
   and nonemergency workplace casualties.
2. Identify facts about safety initiatives and
   resources that focus on ensuring a safe work
   environment.
3. Identify the importance of physical fitness and
   wellness.

(Continued)
3
Learning Objectives

1. Recall various safety policies and procedures.
2. Distinguish among activities to ensure a safe
   work environment at the emergency scene, en route
   to and from the emergency scene, and at
   facilities.
3. Select facts about information included in a
   safety and health program.
4. Given safety scenarios, identify hazards.

(Continued)
4
Learning Objectives

• 8. Select facts about maintaining an effective
  infectious disease control program.
• 9. Recall information about conducting accident
  investigations.
• 10. Complete an initial accident investigation.
• 11. Identify facts about collecting data and
  completing accident report forms.
• 12. Select facts about investigating injuries,
  illnesses, and exposures

5
Emergency Scene Casualties

• Approximately 88,000 per year
• Common firefighter injuries
• Common emergency medical services injuries

6
Firefighter Fatalities

• Average of 117 per year
• Leading causes
• Emergency responses result in only 3.
• EMS operations fatalities

7
Nonemergency Workplace Casualties

• Any injuries or fatalities that occur while
  performing
• Administrative duties
• Training
• Code enforcements and inspections
• Maintenance
• Other nonincident-related situations

(Continued)
8
Nonemergency Workplace Casualties

• Training-related injuries
• Training related fatalities

9
Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Strategic initiative resulting from the March
  2004 summit hosted by National Fallen
  Firefighters Foundation, in cooperation with
  United States Fire Administration
• Goals
• Reduce fatalities by 25 over next 5 years
• Reduce fatalities by 50 over next 10 years

10
Objectives of the Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Define and advocate the need for cultural change
  within the fire service relating to safety,
  incorporating leadership, management,
  supervision, accountability, and personal
  responsibility.
• Enhance the personal and organizational
  accountability for safety and health throughout
  the fire service.

(Continued)
11
Objectives of the Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Focus greater attention on the integration of
  risk management with incident management at all
  levels, including strategic, tactical, and
  planning responsibilities.
• Empower all firefighters to stop unsafe
  practices.
• Develop and implement national standards for
  training, qualifications, and certification
  equally applicable to all firefighters based on
  the duties they are expected to perform.

(Continued)
12
Objectives of the Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Develop and implement national medical and
  physical fitness standards that are equally
  applicable to all firefighters, based on the
  duties they are expected to perform.
• Create a national research agenda and
  data-collection system that relates to the
  initiatives.
• Utilize available technology wherever it can
  produce higher levels of safety and health.

(Continued)
13
Objectives of the Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Thoroughly investigate all firefighter
  fatalities, injuries, and near misses.
• Ensure grant programs support safe practices
  and/or mandate safe practices as an eligibility
  requirement.
• Develop and champion national standards for
  emergency response policies and procedures.

(Continued)
14
Objectives of the Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Develop and champion national protocols for
  response to violent incidents.
• Ensure firefighters and families have access to
  counseling and psychological support.
• Ensure that public education receives more
  resources and is championed as a critical fire
  and life safety program.

(Continued)
15
Objectives of the Everyone Goes Home Initiative

• Strengthen advocacy for enforcement of codes and
  installation of home sprinklers.
• Ensure that safety is a primary consideration in
  the design of apparatus and equipment.

16
Firefighter Close Calls

• A close call is any event that came close to
  resulting in an injury or fatality.
• Web sites
• FirefighterCloseCalls.com
• EMSCloseCalls.com

17
Firefighter Safety Stand Down

• Sponsored by International Association of Fire
  Chiefs (IAFC) and International Association of
  Fire Fighters (IAFF)
• Departments eliminate nonemergency functions and
  focus on safety issues

(Continued)
18
Firefighter Safety Stand Down

• Regular company-level safety training
• Set time every work shift
• Entire work shift every month
• Company officer is responsible for providing
  safety instruction and training.

19
Safety Standards

• NFPA 1500
• NFPA 1561
• NFPA 1581
• NFPA 1983
• NFPA 1852

20
Local Safety Policiesand Procedures

• Training sessions should be held periodically.
• Practical training evolutions and company level
  training should follow all appropriate safety
  policies.

21
Safety and Health Program

• Accident, injury, and illness prevention
• Medical infection or exposure control
• Physical fitness and wellness

22
Basic Workplace Safety

• Organizational goal attained through
• Training
• Policies and procedures
• Maintenance of facilities and equipment

(Continued)
23
Basic Workplace Safety

• Company officers responsibilities
• Implement training requirements, policies, and
  procedures
• Report needed maintenance or replacement of
  unsafe equipment

24
Emergency Scene Safety

• Address primary cause of fatalities through
  education, fitness, and wellness.
• Nutrition
• Weight control
• Physical fitness
• Tobacco use

(Continued)
25
Emergency Scene Safety

• During emergency incident
• Monitor subordinates for physical stress.
• Remove overexerted personnel from operation and
  place in rehabilitation area.
• Ensure that all personnel properly and safely
  use
• Personal protective equipment
• Respiratory equipment
• Tools

(Continued)
26
Emergency Scene Safety

• Operational procedures
• Lockout/tagout procedures
• Two unit members or mechanical devices to lift
  objects or victims over a predetermined weight
• Appropriate protective clothing

(Continued)
27
Emergency Scene Safety

• Operational procedures
• Heavy items mounted in lower compartments on
  apparatus
• Respiratory protection program
• Two in/two out program
• Establishment of an initial rapid intervention
  crew or team

(Continued)
28
Emergency Scene Safety

• Operational procedures
• Activation of personal alert safety system (PASS)
  devices
• Breathing air conservation procedures
• Establishment of a personnel accountability system

29
Safety En Route to and from Scene

• Apparatus and vehicle accidents
• Safe apparatus design and maintenance
• Proper driver/operator training and certification
• Privately owned vehicles
• Cultural changes in responders

30
Safety at Facilities

• Proper maintenance
• Safety procedures

31
Information Included in a Safety and Health
Program

• Reporting injuries, including location of
  first-aid facilities
• Reporting unsafe conditions and practices
• Proper care, use, selection, and maintenance of
  personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Proper actions in the event of emergencies,
  including exit routes during emergencies

(Continued)
32
Information Included in a Safety and Health
Program

• Identifying hazardous gases, chemicals, or
  materials and their safe use and emergency action
  following accidental exposure
• Description of the organizations entire safety
  and health program (including its various
  components)

(Continued)
33
Information Included in a Safety and Health
Program

• On-the-job review of the practices necessary to
  perform initial job assignments in a safe manner
• Procedures to follow when exposed to bloodborne
  pathogens
• Proper procedures for lifting and back care
• Proper handling and use of power tools

(Continued)
34
Information Included in a Safety and Health
Program

• Rules and regulations regarding the use of
  vehicles in both emergency and nonemergency
  situations
• Approved safety procedures for incidents
  involving trenching/shoring and confined-space
  rescues

(Continued)
35
Information Included in a Safety and Health
Program

• Safety procedures designed to provide fall
  protection
• Types of respiratory equipment and their use

36
Infectious Disease Control Program Requirements

• Must meet the NFPA 1581
• Developed and managed by designated infection
  control officer

(Continued)
37
Infectious Disease Control Program Requirements

• Education and training requirements
• Vaccination and inoculation requirements
• Documentation and record-keeping requirements
• Cleaning, decontamination, and disinfection of
  personnel and equipment
• Exposure control and reporting protocols

(Continued)
38
Infectious Disease Control Program Requirements

• Record-keeping
• Exposure reports
• Maintained 30 years following termination or
  retirement
• Confidential

(Continued)
39
Infectious Disease Control Program Requirements

• Record-keeping
• Training that involves
• PPE
• Exposure protection
• Postexposure protocols
• Disease modes of transmission

40
Investigation Policies

• Primary purposes
• Reduce potential for accidents
• Reduce severity of accidents
• Investigations must address root cause (basic
  reason) for accident

(Continued)
41
Investigation Policies

• Policy functions
• Investigative authority

42
Accident Investigations

• Approach should be
• Objective
• Impartial
• Fact-finding, not fault-finding

(Continued)
43
Accident Investigations

• Identify and document
• Behavior or condition that caused an accident
  (root cause)
• Previously unrecognized hazards
• Apparatus/equipment defects or design flaws
• Additional training needs

(Continued)
44
Accident Investigations

• Identify and document
• Improvements needed in safety policies and
  procedures
• Facts that could have a legal impact on an
  accident case
• Historical trends

45
Human Factors

• Improper attitude
• Lack of knowledge or skill
• Physical unsuitability

46
Accident Scene Control

• Serious injuries Stabilize victim and transport.
• Minor injuries Treat at scene.
• Secure scene.

(Continued)
47
Accident Scene Control

• Anything involved in incident is evidence for
• Reconstructing the accident and preventing
  similar accidents
• Supporting potential legal cases

48
Accurate Data Collection

• Forms
• General information
• Employee characteristics (participant)
• Environmental information
• Apparatus/equipment information
• Narrative report

49
Injuries and Illnesses

• First ensure prompt medical treatment.
• Investigations typically follow same procedure as
  accident investigations.
• Job-related illnesses may require additional time
  and resources.

50
Exposure Investigations

• Accurate and thorough documentation is key
• Investigations should occur immediately after any
  incident involving a known exposure.
• Long-range investigations may occur at some point
  in the future when symptoms of exposure appear
  sometime in future following exposure in the
  individual.

51
Summary

• An efficient and effective fire and emergency
  service organization depends on a safe, healthy,
  physically fit, and emotionally stable
  membership.
• The company officer must ensure a safe working
  environment though training, education,
  equipment, policies, procedures, leadership, and
  supervision.

(Continued)
52
Summary

• A safe environment is accomplished through the
  development and implementation of a comprehensive
  safety and health program.
• The organization must also make physical fitness
  a reality through the implementation of a
  holistic employee physical fitness and wellness
  program.
• Company officers must make safety and health
  their primary concerns for their subordinates.